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UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones sees himself fighting at heavyweight in 2020.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been mulling a heavyweight move for a while now. In October, “Bones” even teased an “inevitable” super-fight against knockout artist Francis Ngannou.
Jones is slated to defend his title for the second time at UFC 247 against undefeated contender Dominick Reyes. If he does get past “The Devastator”, the 32-year-old fighter says he will likely make the jump.
“I think it’s a very strong possibility — absolutely,” Jones said at the UFC 247 pre-fight presser over the weekend (transcript by ESPN). “Absolutely. There’s always gonna be someone next [at light heavyweight]. I feel as if I’ve cleared the division and I’m waiting around and I’m taking on new challenges.
“I’m not sitting on the title; I’m not hiding from anybody. I chose Dominick because he appears to be the best out of all of my contenders. And I’m just ready to take over the world, man. Really.”
Jones says he is no stranger to going against bigger training partners, including his brother Arthur. He also feels he won’t lose any of his mobility at a heavier weight.
“After the Thiago Santos fight, I was at a place where I wanted to start entertaining the heavyweight division,” he said. “I’ve been wrestling my brother my whole life. I’ve been [training] with Andrei Arlovski and Alistair Overeem and all these big guys my whole career, and I’ve always done well.
“At 240, I move just as fast as I do at light heavyweight. My versatility I realize is not things most heavyweights would do — spinning things, flying knees. Things like that. I feel really good. I think the timing is gonna be really close.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened in 2020,” Jones added.
UFC 247 takes place on February 8th in Houston, Texas. Co-headlining the card is a women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Katlyn Chookagian.